Foreign Films and Cultural Signs

1.
FOREIGN FILMS AND CULTURAL SIGNS
Panagiotis, Omar, Ixia, Orkhan

2.
QI – “CHI”
 In Jingju, Qi is what makes a
good performer.
 Qi means air, spirit, energy, or
breath.
 Within the performance, “qi” is
best translated as “presence”.
 Breath control is important in
Chinese theatre.
 The abdomen is the residence
of Qi.

3.
QI CONTINUED
 In Jingju theatre, the basic
poses of performers are
rounded in the arms; when
the arms are extended,
backs of the hands face
towards the chest.
 Toes are turned back
towards the ankle or the
sole turned inwards when
the leg is raised.
 These poses are
maintained to withhold the
flow of qi.

5.
QI IN JINGJU VS. CLASSICAL BALLET
 Even when a performer
is finished rehearsing a
sequence, performer will
crouch in a ball with their
heels off the floor to rest
to encourage the qi to
return to the solar
plexus.
 Tai Chi example:
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=TBvF6r6DOvc
 Classical ballet has been
criticized as ‘throw[ing]
the qi away from the
body” due to the fully
extended or drooping
positions in the dance.
 Classical Ballet:
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=QpVyrqR9W10

6.
JINGU VS. METHOD ACTING
 In Jingju, “[m]ovement
does not induce the
spirit to be present. It
is the manifestation of
the spirit’s presence.”
(Riley, 201)
 Speaking in
Stanislavskian terms,
the emotion within the
actor should conjure up
the physical movement
in the body.

7.
NINE-POINT THEATRE STAGE
The Nine-Point stage configuration is used in
various forms of Chinese theatre, including
Jingju and Nuo theatre. The space can be
divided and sub-divided as a fractal to infinity.
Students are expected to memorize and repeat
their motions exactly by following the points on
the stage.

8.
NINE-POINT THEATRE STAGE CONTINUED
 “[T]he relations the performer makes with his body as
he moves between each cell or area of the stage space
are more important than the perspective of the
spectator.” (Riley, 212)
 This use of space can be seen even today in
contemporary sets and choreography in film.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OxQ-2gR1DU

9.
CHINESE FUNERAL RITUALS
 Chinese Theatre plays a large role within the
funeral rites. Various types of complicated rituals
often take on a theatrical element.
 For example: The Procession of Wang Gong in
Jichang village.
 “The [Wang Gong] statue was then carefully raised
onto the litter which was borne by at least twenty
men at a time, different teams taking the burden in
turn—it appeared to be extremely heavy.” (Riley,
229)
 http://youtu.be/gxOGCR8lwFc?t=40m30s

10.
HUMOR AND STEREOTYPES ACROSS CULTURES
 While some humor is universal, there are
certain scenarios that are only perceived as
humorous under cultural lenses. Sometimes
the humor is translatable, but in other cases,
understanding of the specific culture is
required to appreciate the joke.
 In the next few clips, we would like to
demonstrate various types of humor across
different cultures.

12.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
 Could the principle of qi be applied to
Western acting? Why or why not?
 What other rituals have elements of
performance?
 Besides humor, what other elements in film
are culturally specific?